Kano State’s education reforms have earned international recognition at the Parliament of the United Kingdom, where global education experts and policymakers applauded Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf’s commitment to improving literacy through sustained investment, policy reforms and evidence-based learning initiatives.
The recognition came during the International Parliamentary Forum on Reading Revolution held at the House of Lords, Westminster, London, and supported by the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Nigeria.
The forum brought together British and Nigerian parliamentarians, education leaders, researchers and policymakers to strengthen educational cooperation between both countries.
According to a statement issued on Thursday by the Governor’s Spokesman, Sunusi Bature Dawakin Tofa, Kano’s education reforms were cited as a model for sustainable, government-led literacy development in Africa.
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Representing Governor Yusuf at the event, the Technical Adviser on Education Reform, Dr. Haladu Mohammed, said education remains the administration’s top priority, noting that the state’s investments in teachers, school infrastructure and the Jolly Phonics literacy programme are already yielding measurable results.
“Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf believes every child in Kano deserves the opportunity to learn to read. That is why education continues to receive the largest share of the state budget. Our investment in teachers, partnership with Universal Learning Solutions and implementation of Jolly Phonics are delivering measurable improvements in literacy,” he said.
Dr. Mohammed said that Kano became the first state in Nigeria to implement the UK’s Phonics Screening Check, providing evidence that pupils are making significant progress in reading.
He said that the government is extending the programme to Almajiri and integrated Qur’anic schools to ensure every child has access to quality foundational literacy.
Chief Executive Officer of Universal Learning Solutions, Gary Foxcroft, described Kano as one of Africa’s leading examples of literacy reform.
“Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf has demonstrated that when governments invest in evidence-based education reforms, lasting change is possible. Kano has become one of Africa’s leading examples of literacy reform,” Foxcroft explained.
The forum also acknowledged independent research by Newcastle University scholars, Professors Pauline Dixon and Steve Humble, which found that the Jolly Phonics programme has significantly improved children’s reading abilities in Kano, including the successful transfer of phonics skills into Hausa literacy.
Also speaking, Kano State Commissioner for Religious Affairs, Sheikh Ahmad Tijjani Sani Auwal, said integrating Jolly Phonics into Qur’anic schools would expand literacy while preserving the state’s religious heritage.
“This initiative is about opportunity and inclusion. It reflects Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf’s determination to ensure that every child, regardless of the school they attend, has access to high-quality education,” he said.
The recognition further reinforces Kano’s growing reputation as a leading example of sustainable, government-driven education reform in Nigeria and across Africa.
